Cubicolor is back with their second album on Above & Beyond‘s Anjunadeep imprint, titled Hardly A Day, Hardly A Night. This marks the second album from the trio following Brainsugar in 2016, and a few singles since then.
Story Behind The Album
Preceding the release of Hardly A Day, Hardly A Night, the trio had an album finished up that didn’t get published.
“It had twelve tracks, a different name, all the artwork was done and a date was set for it to be released. We got home and listened to it, then called each other and decided to drop the whole thing. The next week we went back into the studio and started again. We loved the record we made but for some reason, it didn’t feel right, so we didn’t keep anything, we shut ourselves on the boat in Amsterdam where we work and didn’t stop until we’d written a new album.”
Reaching this point in time, they’re presenting the new album clearly inspired by the time period since Brainsugar. Moreover, they spoke on that time and how it shaped their lives evidently resulting in the album.
“There were a lot of moments when we weren’t sure we’d ever find what it was we were looking for. On the way, we lost friends, lost loves, battled health issues, lost an album, lost each other and came back together again. It feels like a lifetime has passed but the world keeps spinning and I guess we knew we would eventually find our strength and make the album we wanted to make.”
Tracks
Starting off, the ‘Prelude‘ brings layered and large synths creating motion in the track while the more subtle elements supplement the sound. Reaching its peak, the track bridges into ‘Rituals‘ which enhances the allure in the group’s productions. Through it, a delicate balance is struck between melodies as the punchy rhythm sustains. The warm vocals harmoniously act as an extension to the music while delivering compelling lyricism. Following, ‘All You Need‘ keeps the vocals atop a clicking groove with shifting grainy vocal effects lading to ‘Memories‘. Per its name, the track structures itself around cascading melodies alongside a smooth bass-line.
‘Points Beyond‘ then presents as a warm track graced by tuned vocals portraying the trio’s musical diversity. Nonetheless, they maintain a very distinctive style and sound, also demonstrated by ‘Now You Know‘. Led by the vocals and crisp cadence, it makes way for the title track presenting a deep and soothing production. Succeeding, the piano-centric ‘Once Around‘ functions on intense and vibrant notes.
From that point on, ‘Wake Me Up‘ presents a brighter tone going towards the hypnotizing ‘Airbeat‘. Trailing, ‘Kindling‘ trims down the energy by emphasizing dim piano notes and singing. The production is then pleasantly layered with twinkling synths and echoes. Concluding, ‘Pale Blue Dot‘ leaves the album on an unseemly note through ascending brushes.
Final Notes
Overall, Cubicolor delivered a mixed bag of sounds and production styles with complimentary tracks, each possessing unique qualities. On the touring front, the trio have a live show lined up in London on April 9. You can keep track of any more announcements on their page here.
Listen to Cubicolor’s second album, Hardly A Day, Hardly A Night, and watch the visualizer by Wide–Eyed on Above & Beyond’s Anjunadeep below!
